“I believe…”: A qualitative study of older adults

Beliefs. Believing. Both are tested by different life experiences. This qualitative study of 15 older adults used a grounded theology methodology to develop a model of what influences the views of a range of Christian and agnostic subjects. The study identified two sources in life learning and spiritual learning that influence agnostic, more liberal, or conservative beliefs. This emergent model is contrasted with the approach of leading theologian Graham Ward.     

Intervenir en clinique de l’activité sur la qualité du travail dans l’organisation. Le cas du service de propreté d’une grande collectivité

This article aims to inform the intervention process and the institution of conflictuality around the criteria on quality of work in an Activity Clinic perspective. From the example of a recent intervention in sanitary service of a big city, this article instructs this process when the conflictuality around the criteria of quality of work can be instituted in the organization. When field professionals can do more authority on their activity in the organization, we then witness in action a modification of their role in decision process, regarding their own work. The article concludes with the contribution of the results produced to current reflections on the union work actuality.     

Prayer spaces in schools: a subversion of policy implementation?

Based on a major evaluation project, this article presents an emerging theme from research on the activities supported by Prayer Spaces in Schools, an organisation supporting ‘pop-up’ prayer spaces in schools across the UK and internationally. Evaluating the activities primarily in terms of their possible contribution to spiritual development, a number of important issues arose relating to policy on education and religion. This article focuses on how some engage with these prayer spaces as a way of reimagining and renegotiating educational policy. Based on data gathered from interviews with staff and students (aged 7–16) across seven schools in England, questionnaire responses from 555 students across 15 schools and feedback from two prayer spaces conferences, a hermeneutic approach is used to compare the interpretations of staff with those of students and the implicit positions of policy documents. This article explores various forms of policy implementation and how staff engagement with prayer spaces can be seen as a form of subversion, with staff tactically subverting policy implementation sometimes in order to promote the very intention of those policies – a form of what we refer to as subversive obedience.